

History Dispatches
Matt and McKinley Breen
History Dispatches is a daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen. The show covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history. While any topic is fair game, Matt and McKinley hold a soft spot for the offbeat and wacky stories that most people don’t know about.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 19, 2025 • 21min
Remember the Maine!
On Jan. 25, 1898, the American armored Cruiser the USS Maine sailed into Havana harbor. Three weeks later, an explosion ripped through the vessel - killing more than 250 sailors and marines. Although the cause of the explosion was unknown, it would be the catalyst for America’s intervention in Cuba - and war with Spain - leading to the battle cry, “Remember the Maine”.
Sources
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/spanish-american-war/sinking-of-uss-maine.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_(1890)
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Maine_(ACR-1)_starboard_bow_view,_1898_(26510673494).jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
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Aug 18, 2025 • 17min
504 Protest
In April of 1978 over one hundred disability rights advocates occupied a federal building in San Francisco. Their goal was to force the Carter administration to fulfill a campaign promise. What followed turned into the longest occupation of a federal building in United States history. This is the story of the 504 Protest.
Sources
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/504-protest-disability-community-and-civil-rights.htm
https://dredf.org/short-history-of-the-504-sit-in/
https://longmoreinstitute.sfsu.edu/patient-no-more/virtual-tour
Image: By Kenneth E. Stein - https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_557112
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 2025 • 15min
The Great Zimbabwe
In southern Africa - in the nation of Zimbabwe - an unlikely sight appears in the south-eastern hills near Masvingo. It is the ruins of what was once a great city - including the largest stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa. When Europeans first saw the sprawling site - they speculated who built it. Was it the Phoenicians? Arabs? King Solomon? It didn’t occur to them that the local people had done so - yet that is exactly what had happened. This is the story of the Great Zimbabwe.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/364/
Image: By Jan Derk - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great-Zimbabwe.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 2025 • 10min
The Battle Over Parker Dam
On August 25, 1934, the Governor of Arizona, Benjamin Moeur, declared martial law, dispatching over 100 national guard troops to the site of an invasion. Not by a foreign power, but by California construction workers. It was a battle that made its way to the supreme court, and gave Arizona its own navy. This is the story of the battle over the Parker Dam.
Sources
https://www.nps.gov/articles/california-parker-dam.htm
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/parker-dam
https://www.phoenixmag.com/2014/08/01/whoa-nellie/
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arizona_-_Parker_-_NARA_-_23933751.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 13, 2025 • 13min
Discovery of the Venus de Milo
On April 8, 1820, on the Greek island of Milos, a farmer, Theodoros Kendrotas, uncovered the upper part of a marble statue while working in his field. A visiting French naval officer paid the farmer and his son to uncover the rest of the statue - and when they were done, they would behold one of the greatest works of art in history. This is the story of the discovery of the Venus de Milo.
Sources
https://artjourneyparis.com/blog/story-venus-de-milo.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vénus_de_Milo_-_Musée_du_Louvre_AGER_LL_299_;_N_527_;_Ma_399.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 12, 2025 • 11min
The History of Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of the tastiest most iconic dishes of Thailand. And yet, it has a history that is less than a century old, and it involves floods, a military dictator, and the nation's attempt to spread their culture all over the world. This is the story of Pad Thai.
Sources
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-surprising-reason-that-there-are-so-many-thai-restaurants-in-america/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/who-invented-pad-thai
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-surprising-history-of-pad-thai-180984625/
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phat_Thai_kung_Chang_Khien_street_stall.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 11, 2025 • 21min
Battle of Adwa
On March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa, Ethiopia, the forces of the Kingdom of Italy - attempting to expand its colonial empire in the Horn of Africa - clashed with the Ethiopian army in the climatic battle of the First Italian-Ethiopian War. The result was one of the most stunning defeats of a European power in Africa - and left Ethiopia as one of the few independent nations remaining on the continent. This is the story of the Battle of Adwa.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adwa
https://ethiopiancrown.org/the-battle-of-adwa/
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adoua_1.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 8, 2025 • 20min
Mountain Meadows Massacre
In September of 1857 over 100 members of a wagon train were on their way to California. While in Utah they were ambushed and besieged by a combined force of Mormons and Paiute Natives. The end result would be the execution of 120 settlers, and a church-wide cover up. This is the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Sources
"The Mountain Meadows Massacre" by Juanita Brooks
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_Massacre#/media/File:Mmm_1999_cairn.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 7, 2025 • 16min
CIA Attempts to Assassinate Fidel Castro
In 1959, rebels led by Fidel Castro took control of Cuba. Having a communist power just 90 miles from the border made American officials nervous. Very nervous. And thus the Central Intelligence Agency - the CIA - worked up a variety of plans to remove Castro - and - hopefully - bring about the downfall of his regime. Those plans took many wild turns - and would never be successful. This is the story of the CIA Attempts to Assassinate Fidel Castro.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_assassination_attempts_on_Fidel_Castro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 6, 2025 • 52min
Battle of Bunker Hill
Following the start of the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the colonists took up arms, besieging the British army in Boston. The first real contest of arms would take place three month later at Bunker Hill. Despite making some rookie mistakes, they held their own. In this episode, we discuss the events of that day - with the help of Michael Troy of the American Revolution Podcast. This is the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Sources
Thanks to Mike Troy of the American Revolution Podcast
http://www.amrevpodcast.com
https://pod.amrevpodcast.com
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Death_of_General_Warren_at_the_Battle_of_Bunker%27s_Hill.jpg
History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com
Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


